Courtesy: Wikimedia
A powerful National Counter Terrorism Centre may appear to contravene the federal spirit, but it is a necessary step. The opposition of several state governments to the potential encroachment upon their powers by the NCTC can be addressed if the centre and states share the responsibility of combating terrorism
Courtesy: Joshua Martin
U.S. defence secretary Chuck Hagel’s visit is the third in a flurry of visits by top American officials before the scheduled Modi-Obama meet in September. Hagel’s visit will aim to enhance an already well-established defence-trade partnership and allay fears of the Pentagon’s bias towards Pakistan
Courtesy: news.yahoo.com
The sharp Latin American response to the Israeli bombings in Gaza, on the back of solid support from the U.S., is attributable to the memory of the atrocities committed by past Latin American military dictators with similar U.S. backing. Their strong response is also a sign of the increasingly independent and assertive Latin American voice on the global stage
Courtesy: UNHRC
Apart from supporting the UN resolution for a probe into Israel’s offensive on Gaza, India has chosen to distance itself from the crisis. It’s a stance that is in line with the position successive governments in India have adopted since the early 90s keeping the country's wider strategic interests in mind.
Courtesy: U.S. Navy photo/Journalist 1st Class Todd Macdonald
India’s invitation and the subsequent participation of the Japanese navy in the Malabar 2014 exercise is a sign of the deepening of the political-security relationship between India and Japan. However, an actual fruition of the potential requires both the administrations to be more flexible, especially on the nuclear deal and defence purchases
Courtesy: RT.com
Talks are on in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 to reach a settlement on Iran’s nuclear programme. The self-imposed deadline expires on July 20. However, with the U.S. insisting that Iran cut back on operational centrifuges any possibility of a comprehensive solution in the near future seems remote
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
When the Modi government presents its first Budget, it will hopefully pay closer attention to India’s defence requirements. Over the years, the defence budget has expanded, but funds allocated for military modernisation have not increased. This should be the government’s priority
Courtesy: Wikipedia.org
The rise of the militant ISIS will alter the stability and future of all West Asian countries, and can impact India in multiple ways. India must re-evaluate its West Asia policy, and address the safety of its nationals in Iraq, the security of its oil supplies, and the fallout on South Asia of this resurgence of strife
Courtesy: Gateway House
GLOBSEC, the Bratislava Global Security forum is central and eastern Europe’s premier security forum. While this year’s edition focused on the crisis in Ukraine, a lack of balanced – or even representative – discourse painted a very bleak picture of Russia and its president
Courtesy: Conew/Wikimedia Commons
Edward Snowden’s revelations about the U.S.’s PRISM surveillance raised many issues related to espionage, electronic surveillance and privacy. It brought home the lack of strong privacy laws in India. As the country sets up its own domestic surveillance system, it must also quickly enact statutory privacy legislation